Daily Archives: December 15, 2009 , 7:35 pm

Gov. Jan Brewer said the state's budget crisis precludes her from even considering any intervention in current legal and personality clashes within the Maricopa County government.
Brewer told The Associated Press on Dec. 14 that she has not looked into whether she should or could intervene.

Several appointments have been announced for senior positions in the state's environmental protection agency.
Department of Environmental Quality Director Ben Grumbles on Dec. 14 announced that administrative counsel Henry Darwin is the new deputy director. Darwin replaces Patrick Cunningham, who is leaving for a senior post in the U.S. Attorney's Office for Arizona.

TUCSON – The criminal case against former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi of Arizona and three other men should be split into three trials, a federal magistrate recommended.
If the suggestion is accepted by another judge, the Republican could go to trial twice.

A special legislative session to address the continuing budget crisis will begin Thursday morning, but the votes to approve a package of bills that include a temporary sales tax increase don't appear to be in line.

Republican Farrell Quinlan found himself the subject of a proposed motion at a county Republican meeting early this month after signing up to follow updates from Terry Goddard's fan page on Facebook. With a click of his mouse, Quinlan was suddenly under the microscope of LD4 Chairman Lyle Tuttle...

Cities in metro Phoenix are paying millions of dollars in retention bonuses as they lay off employees, cut pay or raise taxes amid the recession.
Compensation experts question the wisdom of retention bonuses as the state's 9.3 percent unemployment rate has drastically reduced turnover. Cities defend the bonuses as an incentive to retain employees and make up for stagnant wages.

One question keeps coming up as governors and legislators grapple with a seemingly never-ending stream of gloomy budget news that keeps getting worse: How bad can it get?
The answer, according to experts and a look through history, is probably that it could get worse than it has been in a generation - maybe even a lifetime - but not catastrophic.